GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)-The effort to stop the violence in Grand Rapids focused on teenagers and young adults Wednesday night.

LifeQuest Ministries held a conversation with teenagers, youth leaders and gang members to address the recent uptick in murders within the city. One man who attended the meeting believes the problem begins with gangs and the best way to stop it is for churches to reach out to at-risk youth.

"You know the saying, 'violence only begets more violence'. That I believe plays a big role in this," says Steven Malcolm, a member of Edge Urban Fellowship. "It's never been like this and I've lived in Grand Rapids my whole life."

Grand Rapids police responded to 16 murders in 2012; six of those crimes took place in December.

The next meeting for the Stop It! Community initiative will take place February 5.